WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE PATTERNS? - I'll Tell Ya! Curating a Vintage Pattern Stash
My main fabric & pattern stash is always on display. This is about half of my fabric, and I have 2 more boxes of patterns. Pattern storage boxes are from IKEA, purchased in 2009. Sadly, they no longer make this style.
I am often asked, “Where did you get that fabric?” - enough that I have written two blog posts on the topic. One is devoted to IRL Shopping, the other focuses on online shopping. I also have a series of posts about fabric shopping in New York (Part 1, Part 2), and several posts about fabric shopping in other countries.
Naturally, now that those mysteries have been solved, I am frequently asked, “Where did you get that pattern?”. The answer(s) to this question is pretty straightforward, so you won’t be seeing any fabric-shopping-style mega posts. But I will answer the question!
My vintage patterns are organized by brand, more contemporary patterns are organized by style (dresss, tops, coats, pants, etc.)
Butterick was the first brand I began collecting, and I have a real soft spot for their envelope illustrations, which I find to be fairly accurate representations of the patterns.
I buy my current season “Big 4” patterns during online sales, and I pick up BurdaStyle Magazine whenever I’m in a train station with a news stand that stocks it (regardless of language). I don’t sew a ton of indie brand patterns, but if there’s one I love, I buy it, or ask for it as a birthday gift (an $18 pattern or a Japanese sewing book is an excellent gift!). But I know that’s not what you’re asking. You’re asking about vintage.
I sew a lot of vintage patterns. I buy them from all the places one would expect to find vintage items of any kind: eBay, Etsy, estate sales, and thrift stores (but those last two haven’t been possible since Covid-19). Buying vintage patterns at estate sales or thrift stores involves a lot of luck: you either find something you love for 25¢, or you don’t. But with eBay and Etsy, you can search.
I have been stashing patterns for a long time. I bought both of these patterns when they were new releases. V1178 by Anna Sui is from 2010, but I sewed & reviewed it more recently. V8280 was printed in 2007, and I still have and wear the dress I sewed that year!
This is where I know my answer might be unsatisfying if you’re looking for an instant purchase. There are a couple of reasons I have patterns that you might have trouble finding:
I’ve been collecting patterns for years - I’ve been stashing them away for longer than I’ve been blogging about sewing. This goes for vintage and Big 4 - I bought a lot of Big 4 patterns in the early 00s that I either sewed back then, or I’ve only felt ready to sew recently.
I am extremely patient and focused when there is a pattern I want. I’ll wait a year or more for one to pop up, I’ll just keep waiting. I typically will not purchase a pattern unless it is in my size, but if you are willing to buy a different size than your usual, you may have a shorter wait time.
I searched and waited for about a year before finding a copy of Butterick 6194. I have sewn the dress, but still need to take photos!
I love vintage Vogue patterns. I’ve muslined the dress on the left, but it needs adjustments (it’s designed to be worn with a bra from its era). I’m looking forward to sewing the coat some day!
I do a lot of research in vintage magazines and online, and I have a well honed sense of personal style - it’s gotta be something I want to sew up and wear. There are also patterns I seek out for specific design details, that I may wish to study for educational purposes, or apply to a different garment entirely. I have limited space for my collection, so I don’t buy patterns unless they are on my wish list. For a while, I was constantly searching for patterns I wanted, but currently I am very inspired by my collection, so I’m not actively shopping.
Different eras take on the same design concepts. I love how Victorian and Edwardian detailing pop up in different decades.
I sewed both of these dresses this year and they were quite similar. Each one has a blog post and I have compared the pattern pieces and fit.
A good tip I can offer is to look at different brands and eras. Pattern designers are basically always reinventing the wheel. It’s unusual for a pattern to be unique (Vogue Designer patterns are the exception - they are often unlike any others - which explains the high price tags), and style is cyclical, so silhouettes reappear over time. Here you can see two dress patterns from the early 1970s - they are very similar! I sewed and reviewed both patterns this year (Simplicity 9259 and McCall’s 3131), and compared the pattern pieces. If you have your heart set on a certain style, expand your search and you’ll likely find something that will get you pretty close - it just might be from a different decade than you expected.
Vintage New Look patterns are a little hard to find, and they are drafted with a tremendous amount of ease - for style! The illustrations provide such a mood!
My main advice is to be focused and patient. And never judge a pattern by its dated envelope cover! So many styles can be modernized with just a few tweaks. Do you have any good vintage pattern shopping tips to share? Let me know! XO, Martha